Cheese and Vegetable Panini (Meatless Monday)

Happy week after Thanksgiving, and official start to the Holiday season. I hope everyone enjoyed some great family and friend time, and of course some delicious food. And if you’re a Buckeye, I hope you enjoyed every minute of the game on Saturday when we kicked the butts of that team up north. Of course we did, it’s a tradition.

As you create your holiday wish list this year I’m sure you’re thinking about kitchen gadgets. Do you ever buy kitchen equiptment and then realize you could have used something else in your kitchen to do the same thing? We had a couple people come into our workplace last week, trying to sell us something that makes a fruit ice cream, and the whole time I was thinking; “I make this all the time with my food processor!”. Regardless, the gadget was pretty amazing and not a bad price so I’m sure the convenience factor might sway people to buy it (maybe even me, I mean it was pretty neat) but still, the gadget really wasn’t necessary since I could already make this with what I had in my kitchen. We are just so gadget happy these days. I don’t know about you but I simply don’t have the space for these gadgets in my kitchen, and whenever I can use one gadget to do two (or more) things, I will! Case in point; I don’t have a panini maker, but I do own a grill pan (second best option). I often see panini recipes online and never even thought to use my grill pan until someone told me that’s what they use for paninis. Duh! It makes sense, I can get the true “panini” marks and everything.

I just did one panini at a time, but the recipe said to do two. Don’t be confused, I just don’t listen to recipes sometimes. I sort of wanted to do a test run first….do you ever do that? Plus my panini was overflowing with veggies so I felt like it needed its space. I’m so thoughtful, I know.

Have four 15-ounce cans, a medium skillet, and a non-stick skillet (or grill pan!) ready by the stove.

Combine Cheddar, zucchini, carrot, onion, salsa and jalapeño (if using) in a medium bowl. Divide among 4 slices of bread and top with the remaining bread.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in the large nonstick skillet (or grill pan if you want those grill marks!) over medium heat. Place 2 paninis in the pan. Place the medium skillet on top of the paninis, then weigh them down with the cans (or whatever you have in your kitchen that is heavy enough to weigh down the paninis). Cook the paninis until golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, flip the paninis, replace the top skillet and cans, and cook until the second side is golden, 1 to 3 minutes more. Repeat with another 1 teaspoon oil and the remaining paninis.

Notes

** If you want this to be lower in FODMAPs, omit the onion and use a gluten free bread. Also, omit the salsa or use less (~1/8 cup instead of ¼th cup) because salsa has onion and garlic almost 100% of the time. I actually used the full ¼th cup and wasn't bothered, but for some omitting the salsa is best. Add some flavor back with Texas Pete's hot sauce if you'd like, it's a low FODMAPs hot sauce.

Nutrition Highlights: Under 300 calories, good source of vitamin C, iron, and fiber, excellent source of calcium and vitamin A

I don’t eat bread often, at all, not even gluten free bread. I tend to get my grains from things like wild rice, brown rice, oats and quinoa. When I took a bite of this panini I was flooded with endorphins, and thoughts ran through my head such as “Holy cow! Gina, why has it been so long since you’ve had a hot sandwich with hearty bread, overflowing with veggies and cheese?!”. I knew right away that Nick would love the panini as much as I did. And I was right.

Such a perfect idea for a last minute dinner or lunch. And if you’d like to make this a vegan panini you could use a vegan cheese such as my favorite; Daiya. It melts well and actually taste pretty similar to the real thing. I know Daiya cheese would be perfect in this panini.

Question time; Do you have any kitchen gadgets at your house that you know you don’t really need, but you bought anyway? Or, do you want any kitchen gadgets that you know you don’t necessarily need? For me it’s a soda stream. I want one so bad, but do I need it? No, not at all. Do I have room for it? Not really. I guess I’ll have to think of something to get rid of first…. Hmm, anyway, stay tuned for some great recipes coming up this week and next, including a butternut squash and sourdough soup, and the two amazing side dishes I prepared for Thanksgiving (yes, I’m flattering myself by saying they were amazing, but they were! They were healthy contributions to the table, and people actually truly enjoyed them. That’s always a win in my book).

That is one delicious looking sandwich!!! Yes, I do have some unused kitchen gadgets….the most unused being my bread asker, but for some reason I can’t seem to part with it. I do have a mandoline on my wish list this year. What do you think??? Do I need one?? 🙂

Ok I own a mandoline but I NEVER use it! It’s one of those small hand-held ones. I just use the food processor instead, or cut by hand. I just never use it….I also had a bigger one and never used that either!

Now I’m curious about this gadget people brought by. It wasn’t an ice cream maker? And is there really something out there called a panini maker? How is that different from a grill pan? In any case, this hot sandwich looks delicious 🙂

I’m such a kitchen gadge junkie, I just can’t myself. I think except for the ice cream maker, I have most of the most popular ones. And I just ordered my first le crueset today. Do I need it? No! But I so want one!
I love paninis, I love the combo of melted cheese and grilled vegetables. I want to try the daiya cheese , is it really good? I mean, I sometimes wonder if this substite is better than the real thing since they are more processed.

I actually have a gadget that makes fruit ice cream. I only have a mini food processor, and I was worried I would overwork it if I kept making fruit ice cream. The fruit ice cream maker is totally not necessary and not that convenient to clean. Plus, I really don’t have the space for it, so it certainly wasn’t my greatest purchase…

Gina, The Candid RD

I'm a registered dietitian working hard to dispel nutrition myths, and to teach people how to live healthy lives without deprivation. My goal is to make nutrition simple, fun and delicious! I also follow a low FODMAPs diet for IBS. Feel free to contact me with questions.

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A story book that details a healthy trip through the grocery store, complete with a few recipes for your young ones!

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Disclaimer

This blog is meant to teach and inform you about nutrition and nutrition-related information. It serves as an outlet for my own personal opinions, but is not meant to be used as an absolute source of information. Before using this information to make any changes to your diet or lifestyle, I recommend that you talk to your doctor or local registered dietitian (contact me for options). Also, my low-FODMAPs recipes and recipe modifications are based on research done by the Monash University. Please contact me if you see something that you believe is inaccurate. I like to help, not confuse.